Saying it was a sign of respect for her country and not disrespect, Haddam Selectwoman Melissa Schlag took a knee during the Pledge of Allegiance before Haddam's July 19 board meeting.

Saying it was a sign of respect for her country and not disrespect, Haddam Selectwoman Melissa Schlag took a knee during the Pledge of Allegiance before Haddam's July 19 board meeting. (Mark Mirko / Hartford Courant)

But there is a great deal of disagreement about whether “taking a knee” is disrespectful — in the context of professional football and, now, at public meetings. Most people who have made such public statements have clearly done so to bring up social issues, and that deserves our respect.

Ms. Schlag is a citizen exercising her right to free speech, a most American practice, profoundly respectful of the First Amendment principle represented by the flag itself.

State Sen. Art Linares doesn’t think so. In a tweet, the Haddam Republican and candidate for state treasurer said Ms. Schlag demonstrated “a complete lack of respect for our country and the symbols that unite us” and added a video in which he said it was “unacceptable” and demanded that she resign.

Those sentiments are wrong, and Mr. Linares’ jingoistic grandstanding is badly misplaced — especially the one-minute video of his complaints in front of town hall. Melissa Schlag is not public enemy No. 1. She’s a public servant with a point of view and presents less of a threat to our way of life than closed-minded nationalism does.

Ms. Schlag explained that she knelt during the pledge to protest President Donald Trump’s apparently cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. There’s no reason to doubt her. Clearly, making such a statement at a public meeting is constitutionally protected political speech.

She elaborated in a long Facebook post, stating that she “knelt out of extreme sorrow” for a number of recent events and social issues. There is no treason in her reasons.

Politely kneeling is about as respectful as protest gets. She didn’t burn a flag. She didn’t shout or insult anyone. She carried no torches, chanted no slogans and incited no riots. She simply knelt. What’s wrong with that?

She wasn’t disrespecting the flag at all. Her act was, in its own way, a show of patriotism.

Mr. Linares, in his video, demanded that Ms. Schlag resign, apologize to citizens and veterans, and “actually salute” the flag during the pledge.

That sounds more like the dictate of a totalitarian regime where one must obey without question than a country where the freedom to protest is prized.

Mr. Linares insinuates that Ms. Schlag’s action was disrespectful to veterans. But veterans didn’t fight to protect a piece of cloth — they fought to protect a way of life that values, among other things, free speech. The physical flag should not be confused with what it represents. It is, as Mr. Linares said, a symbol, not a holy relic.

Criticism of government is not only tolerated in this nation, it is welcomed and encouraged. That’s what separates us from totalitarian states. In the United States, we are free to criticize, and nobody should be forced to salute.

“I didn’t kneel because I hated my country,” Ms. Schlag said. “I knelt because I love my country.” That shouldn’t be hard for anyone to believe.

It’s fine for Mr. Linares to disagree with Ms. Schlag. But as an American, Mr. Linares should be eager to fight for her right to express her political views. Instead, he condemned her.